Digital Thread: Components (Coursera)

Digital Thread: Components (Coursera)

This course will help you recognize how the "digital thread" is the backbone of the digital manufacturing and design (DM&D) transformation, turning manufacturing processes from paper-based to digital-based. You will have a working understanding of the digital thread – the stream that starts at product concept and continues to accumulate information and data throughout the product’s life cycle – and identify opportunities to leverage it.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see Coursera's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

Gain an understanding of how "the right information, in the right place, at the right time" should flow. This is one of the keys to unlocking the potential of a digital design process. Acknowledging this will enable you to be more involved in a product’s development cycle, and to help a company become more flexible.
Main concepts of this course will be delivered through lectures, readings, discussions and various videos.
This is the second course in the Digital Manufacturing & Design Technology specialization that explores the many facets of manufacturing’s “Fourth Revolution,” and features a culminating project involving creation of a roadmap to achieve a self-established DMD-related professional goal.
Course 2 of 9 in the Digital Manufacturing & Design Technology Specialization.

Syllabus

WEEK 1
Digital Thread Defined
The purpose of this module is to introduce learners to the context and definition of the digital thread. Details of individual lessons in this module are provided below.

WEEK 2
Data Storage in the Digital Thread
The purpose of this module is to explore the different strategies and components affecting data storage in the enterprise. Building on effective information technology practices, the module will develop learners' knowledge of well developed data storage strategies. Upon completion, students will be able to analyze an organization’s data storage strategy and make recommendations for improvement in performance and robustness. Details of individual lessons in this module are provided below.

WEEK 3
Data Sharing and The Digital Thread
The purpose of this module is to explain factors impacting the ability of organizations to share data (internally and externally). Upon completion of the module, learners will be able to evaluate data sharing strategies and point out potential strengths and weaknesses of different approaches. Details of individual lessons in this module are provided below

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Marketing in an Analog World (Coursera) Coursera
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Marketing in an Analog World (Coursera)

Our new Digital World is dramatically changing the way in products are created, promoted, distributed, and consumed. Although these changes have been revolutionary, we still live in an Analog (or physical) World. For example, even today, over 90% of all sales are still conducted in Analog stores. Thus, both marketers and consumers must simultaneously navigate both the Analog and Digital Worlds on a daily basis.

Jul 6th 2026
4 Weeks
Cyber Security in Manufacturing (Coursera) Coursera
University at Buffalo,The State University of New York

Cyber Security in Manufacturing (Coursera)

The nature of digital manufacturing and design (DM&D), and its heavy reliance on creating a digital thread of product and process data and information, makes it a prime target for hackers and counterfeiters. This course will introduce students to why creating a strong and secure infrastructure should be of paramount concern for anyone operating in the DM&D domain, and measures that can be employed to protect operational technologies, systems and resources.

Aug 24th 2026
4 Weeks
Big Data: adquisición y almacenamiento de datos (Coursera) Coursera
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

Big Data: adquisición y almacenamiento de datos (Coursera)

¿Estás interesado en tener un conocimiento más detallado sobre las herramientas y aplicaciones Big Data? En este curso aprenderás los principios para comprender la terminología, conceptos básicos y herramientas más importantes para resolver problemas de análisis de datos enfocándonos en los problemas y las aplicaciones. El objetivo es proporcionar una visión de sistema para entender los retos más importantes que nos encontramos cuando trabajamos en entornos con grandes volúmenes de datos.

Jan 13th 2025
4 Weeks
Roadmap to Success in Digital Manufacturing & Design (Coursera) Coursera
University at Buffalo,The State University of New York

Roadmap to Success in Digital Manufacturing & Design (Coursera)

Learners will create a roadmap to achieve their own personal goals related to the digital manufacturing and design (DM&D) profession, which will help them leverage relevant opportunities. The culminating project provides a tangible element to include in their professional portfolios that showcases their knowledge of Industry 4.0.

Sep 7th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Architecting with Google Kubernetes Engine: Workloads en Français (Coursera) Coursera
Google Cloud

Architecting with Google Kubernetes Engine: Workloads en Français (Coursera)

"Le cours ""Architecting with Google Kubernetes Engine: Workloads"" vous apprend à effectuer des opérations Kubernetes ; à créer et gérer des déploiements ; à utiliser les outils de mise en réseau GKE, et à attribuer un espace de stockage persistant à vos charges de travail Kubernetes. Ce cours fait partie d'une formation spécialisée consacrée à la création d'infrastructures informatiques efficaces à l'aide de Kubernetes et de GKE. Cette formation porte sur le déploiement et la gestion d'applications conteneurisées sur GKE et les autres services proposés par Google Cloud Platform.

Aug 24th 2026
1 Week
Digital Systems: From Logic Gates to Processors (Coursera) Coursera
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

Digital Systems: From Logic Gates to Processors (Coursera)

This course gives you a complete insight into the modern design of digital systems fundamentals from an eminently practical point of view. Unlike other more "classic" digital circuits courses, our interest focuses more on the system than on the electronics that support it. This approach will allow us to lay the foundation for the design of complex digital systems.

Aug 31st 2026
5-12 Weeks
Advanced Manufacturing Process Analysis (Coursera) Coursera
University at Buffalo,The State University of New York

Advanced Manufacturing Process Analysis (Coursera)

Extreme variability is a fact of life in manufacturing environments, impacting product quality and yield. Through this course, students will learn why performing advanced analysis of manufacturing processes is integral for diagnosing and correcting operational flaws in order to improve yields and reduce costs. Gain insights into the best ways to collect, prepare and analyze data, as well as computational platforms that can be leveraged to collect and process data over sustained periods of time. Become better prepared to participate as a member of an advanced analysis team and share valuable inputs on effective implementation.

Aug 24th 2026
3 Weeks
Developing Applications with Google Cloud: Foundations (Coursera) Coursera
Google Cloud

Developing Applications with Google Cloud: Foundations (Coursera)

In this course, you learn the fundamentals of application development on Google Cloud. You learn best practices for cloud applications, and how to select compute and data options to match your application use cases. You're introduced to generative AI and how it's used to help build applications. You learn about authentication and authorization, application deployment, continuous integration and delivery, and monitoring and performance tuning for your applications running in Google Cloud.

Sep 7th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Data Storage in Microsoft Azure for Associate Developers (Coursera) Coursera
Microsoft

Data Storage in Microsoft Azure for Associate Developers (Coursera)

Azure provides a variety of ways to store data: unstructured, archival, relational, and more. In this course, you will learn the basics of storage management in Azure, how to create a Storage Account, and how to choose the right model for the data you want to store in the cloud. This course part of a Specialization intended for Data engineers and developers who want to demonstrate their expertise in designing and implementing data solutions that use Microsoft Azure data services anyone interested in preparing for the Exam DP-203: Data Engineering on Microsoft Azure (beta).

Aug 24th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Research Data Management and Sharing (Coursera) Coursera
University of Edinburgh,University of North Carolina

Research Data Management and Sharing (Coursera)

This course will provide learners with an introduction to research data management and sharing. After completing this course, learners will understand the diversity of data and their management needs across the research data lifecycle, be able to identify the components of good data management plans, and be familiar with best practices for working with data including the organization, documentation, and storage and security of data. Learners will also understand the impetus and importance of archiving and sharing data as well as how to assess the trustworthiness of repositories.

Aug 31st 2026
5-12 Weeks